ANIMAL FORM AN INDEX OF QUALITIES. 



scarcely covered even in animals that have been high- 

 ly fed, while the flesh is very dark-colored, coarse- 

 grained, and of decidedly inferior flavor. 



"When any one of the above-described peculiarities 

 of external form is present in a marked degree, the 

 others will in all probability be found to a greater or 

 less extent, together with an inferior quality of flesh. 



In these cases it will be noticed that the best parts 

 of the carcass are reduced .to a minimum, and the 

 coarsest parts are largely in excess. 



In the best-formed animals the hind-quarters pre- 

 sent a marked contrast to the form we have had under 

 consideration. The loins are long and wide, dimin- 

 ishing the triangular space between the hips and the 

 last ribs, and carrying the largest possible amount of 

 choice flesh. 



The hips should be broad, and the rumps long 

 and well-filled at the sides, between the hips and the 

 points of the ,rump. The tail should be set on in a 

 line with the back, its base being broad, from a devel- 

 opment of the transverse processes, corresponding 

 with a similar characteristic of the loins and sacrum ; 

 while the cord, which, in its bony structure, consists 

 of the bodies of the vertebrae only, should be fine, as 

 an indication of small bones in the general skeleton. 



The quarters from the hips and rump to the thigh 

 should represent a vertical plane, while the twist 

 should be full and even, without any marked protu- 

 berance of the buttocks. "With this conformation will 

 be found an abundance of fine-grained, valuable meat, 

 while the inferior pieces will be reduced to a minimum. 



The Texan steer (Fig. 9) presents a marked con- 



